Question:
When should I find out when if I dump?

I just want to know, if there is a certain time you should try to see if you are a dumper? I am five post op...and have by mistake eaten canned baked beans with sugar in it...and I wonder if I'm a dumper.    — Marian B. (posted on September 6, 2003)


September 6, 2003
You will find it hard to make yourself dump. You will have to find out if it is sugar or fat that triggers it, or both. What amount it takes. Where the moon is in relation to Venus. Hold your tongue in just the right position. Etc Etc Etc... I never knew i was gonna dump until I did. Everytime. Thankfully I have only dumped a couple of times. I have thrown up more than I have dumped. The two aren't really related. You will just really have to define your personal limits. Everyone is different. What makes you dump, may not make me, and vice verse. But when the good news ia when it happens....you will know it. You will only do it a couple of times before you learn your triggers, and limits. Good Luck!!! Open RNY 11-11-02, Down 150lbs
   — dkinson

September 6, 2003
I am 4 1/2 months post-op, and decided to not worry about it. I eat according to my doctor's advise, and figure if I stick to that I won't have to worry about it. :)
   — CindyOakes

September 6, 2003
Well, here's my advice: Don't try to find out! Dumping is just a bad, bad thing. It's very uncomfortable, frightening the first time it happens, not to mention that you feel like a heard of cattle has just stomped on you. It's just unpleasant to the nth degree. I found out that I dump when I drank some Crystal Light; granted it was very STRONG Crystal Light (LOL), but it's not something that I want to experience again. If you dump, you'll know it -- there's nothing else quite like it.
   — Cheryl M.

September 6, 2003
Marian, I have to ask why in the world would you want to put yourself through something as bad as DUMPING. I have done it two times and thats two times to many and I will never do it again. Like the other poster said its like you got run over by a herd of cattle and you are so sick you want to curl up in a ball and die. It happen to me the first time on very litle sugar and the second time on fatty foods. These are waters that you dont want to test and the other problem is if you find out you dont dump then you will be eating foods that you should not so my advise is (DONT GO THERE) Good Luck on your journey. LAP RNY DISTAL 02/19/03 6'2" 412/248/ 168lbs lost forever and 40 more to goal. Dr Korman Ingelwood, California
   — tonyskid

September 6, 2003
I am over 2 years out and I still dump. I consider it a blessing. I cannot overeat, I cannot eat too sugary things (although I have found out I can eat 10 M&M's twice a week without dumping). You literally throw up the excess foood you take in (different from throwing up before), too many sweets and/or fried food actually make you physically sick. This is something you don't get with the DS. I thank GOD everyday that I dump, otherwise I'm sure I'd be over 300 lbs. (No offense if you weigh over 300 lbs, I truly believe it's a genetic disorder and IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT). Plus, I think heavy guys are HOT! ySincerely, Sandie Guy
   — sandieguy

September 6, 2003
I also cannot figure out why you would want to know if you are a dumper. In my mind I am wondering if you want to "cheat" with your foods and eat what you should not eat. I have not dumped (open RNY 5/7/03) but I have not tested the waters so to speak. From what I have read and heard dumping is NOT PLEASANT. Do yourself a favor and stick with your doctor's diet plan like I am and you will be better off in the long run. I think for me the threat of dumping while I am away from home is what keeps me in line food wise. I do not want to have to explain to my co-workers or others why I suddenly am sick on something that I ate that I should not have.
   — ChristineB

September 6, 2003
I'm with the others... why would you want to push it? I'm 2+ years post op and evidently still have some mild dumping which I am VERY grateful for. Not that I enjoy it but I'd be back at the sugar full time if I did'nt. The current dumping is nothing like it is as an early post op. It was like having a heart attack (racing heart anyway), extreme anxiety and I think some sweating. It was awful and I wish I had it that bad now. Anyway, really don't push it. Hopefully you are eating right and that is why you have'nt dumped rather than you can't. Count yourself lucky. It is'nt any fun.
   — Danmark

September 6, 2003
O.K., here's my answer to this question and it may offend some, and I'm sorry. That is not my intent. I just do NOT understand all the people who "test" to see if they dump. In essence, this is saying, "I want to be able to go back to eating all the crap that made me fat in the first place, and I can't wait to see if I can!" Believe me, I'm not saying that I'm perfect or have all the answers, but I am almost 8 months and have never even tried any sugar. I mean I have certainly had certain products that have a little sugar in them, because most do, but I'm talking about straight "sweets" (candy, cookies, cake, etc.). I also don't eat fatty fried foods, although, there again, I certainly get fat from things like light mayo. I'm not sure if I would dump or not and, quite frankly, don't care to know. Please think about why you had this surgery. Changing you eating habits is going to be the key to your long term success. I truly believe that the only people who gain back their weight are the ones that went back to their old habits, and probably "tested" from the start. New eating habits MUST be formed early. Please, don't intentionally test yourself. You may find that you dump on something you eat (for example those beans) which really aren't a very bad choice, without having to try to find something by picking bad choices (sweets, etc.). O.K., done preaching. I hope I didn't offend anyone.
   — Kathy S.

September 6, 2003
Kathy S. I agree with you. I do not understand why some people need to push the limits so far as to find out if they dump. I came close on a scoop of sugar free ice cream, go figure. Although I have no idea what it was sweetened with or how much fat it had in it. I also wonder if it was more of a lactose reaction. That's the only thing I have had a problem with as far as dumping. <p>I am able to eat very reasonable quantities of sugar and am fine. This is good for me because it does allow me to enjoy some very small quantities of sweet things once in a while. I have no desire to find out how far I can push it. I'm trying to find a balanced and normal way of eating and loading up with sugar, in my opinion, is not normal. I do not need to eat a whole piece of pie etc. as it would mean that I did not eat much else for that meal which I know is not healthy. I know that protein will always have to be my top priority and therefore there won't be a lot of room for lots of sweets. I guess we both are just weird. LOL
   — zoedogcbr

September 6, 2003
Use the fear of dumping as a deterrant to making bad choices. It's part of the tool to be used in case you do fall of the bandwagon and to help to get you back in line. If you test your limits and you find that you don't have any dumping limits, it will be easier to allow the piece of cake or to reach into the candy jar. Besides, you'll find that you will be testing by accident (like with the green beans) or like me and how I dumped on pasta.
   — Yolanda J.

September 7, 2003
I never had to wonder if I dumped... the first night home from the hospital I had a severe dumping episode on a protein shake... passed right out! Then felt like dying for about 30 minutes when I came to....same thing happened two weeks later on a teaspoon of Peanut Butter (which my surgeon said was a good protein source), and just last week on Atkins ice cream! I now know that even foods that are "good" or "ok" for me will make me dump... I can't have ANY sugar in my food. I would never test for this, because it is the scariest, worst feeling I've ever experienced, and I HATE it....you're better off just avoiding sugar period...besides, what if you found out you don't dump? Don't you think you might be more likely to cheat?? Not an accusation, just a thought... why give yourself that opportunity?? Just follow your surgeons plan, and hope you never dump.
   — Kelly B.

September 7, 2003
there are gonna be those who disagree with me, or my surgeon for that matter but when i asked my surgeon if i would dump he said no that distal rny don't dump. others will probably say different but i'm nearly 10 months out and have tested this to the max and believe me i DON'T dump. like others have said dumping might be a blessing in disguise because i haven't lost a pound in the last month and have been hitting the sweets big time. cookies, ice cream, danish, candy you name it i've probably eaten it. with that said i think i'll go curl up in a cave somewhere and wish i dumped. that's a part of this surgery i needed and didn't get. best luck to you, kimberly open distal rny 11/12/02 -120lbs
   — kimberly T.

September 7, 2003
I assume I am NOT a dumper. I am thrilled this is the case. This allows me to eat what I want to eat and enjoy it. What I don't want...what I fear, is the ability to consume huge quantities again. I am 10 months out and in total control. Being a non-dumper gives me an exit from that damn 'diet' mentality. To me 'diet' is a nasty word. I could never do it and I don't ever want to have to do it. I do what I was told..protein first, then a very small amount of veggies,salad, and/or fresh fruit. I even have a bite or two of any dessert if the mood strikes me. I love this. This is why I had WLS! I want to eat normally, feel marvelous, look great and not feel deprived. If I could 'diet' I wouldn't have needed to go the drastic and very dangerous surgery route. I was never addicted to sweets, but I was a HUMONGUS portion eater! That problem seems to be solved. Eating is an enjoyable though 'small' experience. But now it's not the ONLY experience that I enjoy! Open RNY 10/30/02 191 lost!
   — Ginger M.

September 7, 2003
Kimberly: I dumped on sugar, but still went back to it over and over, so who knows if dumping would help you or not. I just wanted to tell you if you do start gaining from poor food choices to put an end it to it before it gets out of hand like it did with me. I didn't have a distal so maybe it will be different for you. But starting just after a year post up until I seriously startred to diet I would gain 2 to 4 pounds a month. It adds up much faster than you'd think. And with being able to eat more on top of making poor food choices it wasn't hard at all to add weight. Dumping is bad, but I'm glad I do it. I wish it was even worse so it would really make me stop. LOL Good luck to all. S
   — sherry hedgecock

September 8, 2003
My best advice would be not to try anything new unless you're at home; don't try anything new in a restaurant or in public. I found out at a week out that I'm a dumper; and it was on an Atkins shake for Pete's sake! It was enough for me to avoid anything with sugar at all costs. Fortunately, these days there are so many sugar-free alternatives that I feel I can have an occasional treat and not feel deprived. Proximal lap rny 08/19/03, -22 lbs.
   — Moysa B.




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